Q Acoustics Q-BT3 wireless speakers take aim at soundbars

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The new Q Acoustics powered aptX Bluetooth speakers have analogue and digital inputs, and designs on replacing a soundbar in your system

Q Acoustics has announced the Q-BT3 Bluetooth wireless speakers, a pair of powered speakers that sport analogue and digital inputs, aptX Bluetooth streaming and are due on sale later this month for £399.

The Q-BT3 speakers aim to deliver top-notch sound from a variety of sources via wired and wireless connections, and aim to take a bite out of the burgeoning soundbar market, with Q Acoustics claiming the speakers "comfortably outperform typical soundbars".

REVIEW: Q Acoustics Q-BT3

Streaming music from a smartphone, tablet or Bluetooth-enabled computer seems like the most obvious use of the speakers, with the addition of support for the superior aptX codec hopefully delivering better sound from aptX Bluetooth devices such as the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4.

Thanks to a 3.5mm input and a stereo phono input you can also connect any other source with an audio output, such as a TV, set-top box, Blu-ray player or games console.

An integrated DAC and an optical digital input means you can also take a digital signal from compatible sources. There's a subwoofer output, too.

Q Acoustics is eager to stress the Q-BT3 speakers are hi-fi speakers not "a jazzed up iPod dock or modified table radio in disguise". The system has one powered speaker and one passive 'slave', with standard speaker cable joining them together.

The speakers use a 25mm silk dome tweeter and 10cm paper mid/bass driver, while the amp delivers 2 x 50 watts of power. The Q-BT3 speakers are nice and compact, measuring 24 x 14.8 x 22.6cm (HWD).

Available in black, red and white, the Q Acoustics Q-BT3 wireless Bluetooth speakers are due on sale in late August 2013, priced £399 per pair.

MORE: Best soundbars

by Joe Cox

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Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).